Zuckerberg spoke on a wide array of subjects such as Facebook's role in educating and connecting the world and the burning issue of Net Neutrality.

ET Online

Updated: October 28, 2015, 16:46 IST

& Zuckerberg spoke on a wide array of subjects such as Facebook's role in educating and connecting the world and the burning issue of Net Neutrality.NEW DELHI: Talking about the wide scope growth for Facebook in India, its CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday termed the country as one of the tech giant's most important market. "We cannot connect every person in the world without connecting everyone in India," Zuckerberg said at a Town Hall in IIT Delhi. ​"The energy here is awesome," he added.

Zuckerberg, who took on a series of questions from students and professionals, spoke on a wide array of subjects such as Facebook's role in educating and connecting the world and the burning issue of Net Neutrality.

We take a look at some of the important things that Zuckerberg said:

1. Around four billion people in world still don't have internet access, due to lack of network, affordability & awareness. For every 10 people that get access to internet, one job is created & one person is lifted out of poverty. We want to get the next billion people online & that's why I am so excited to be in India.

2. Does Internet.org support Net Neutrality? "Absolutely," said Zuckerberg. If a zero rated product helps students, fishermen to access internet and to improve lives, that is good!

3. Artificial intelligence: In five to ten years we (Facebook) want to build computers that have basic human senses better than humans.

4. Education: Access to educational resources online is going to make a big difference going forward. Connectivity and access to internet will play a big role in building better schools for the poor. For all those who don't have access to a school having access to resources online will help. We have made investments in introducing new types of schools in Africa, hope to bring them to India too.

5. Ideal start-ups: Products built on a scale as big as Facebook are not built by one person or conceived in one eureka moment. Every good company that has come up is because someone cared about something. Focus on what you want do and the impact of what you want to change.

The townhall comes at a time when Facebook's 'Free Basics' initiative is witnessing scathing criticism from opposition leaders, government committees and netizens across the country, who argue that the initiative violates the principle of net neutrality. "More than 130 million people use Facebook in India. I'm looking forward to hearing directly from one of our most active and engaged communities," Zuckerberg said on Facebook.

This follows a month after Zuckerberg hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a similar townhall session at the company's headquarters during Modi's visit to Silicon Valley. During the townhall session, Modi had hailed social media as a force for democracy and good governance, reiterated his vision of India as a $20-trillion economy and also said the 'Make in India' plan would be a success.

Jio’s Rs 2,399 annual plan offers 2GB per day data that costs effectively Rs 200 per month. It also offers unlimited voice and SMS. Airtel and Vodafone Idea’s Rs 2398 and Rs 2399 annual plans, on the other hand, offer 1.5GB per day data along with unlimited voice and SMS